This is a great short story collection from Ellen Oh, the founder of We Need Diverse Books. Each story is written by a different author and they are all slightly connected through the construct of home. All the stories take place in one apartment building.

As soon as I saw that Ellen Oh was releasing another anthology, I requested an ARC of the book immediately. After reading (and loving) You Are Here earlier this year, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this second collection of short stories, all set in a single apartment block and told from the perspectives of multiple adolescents (each written by a different author). Even if I hadn't read Oh's first anthology, how could I possibly say no to this superstar line-up of middle grade and YA authors? Adrianna Cuevas, Adam Gidwitz, Erin Entrada Kelly, Jasmine Warga, and on and on...say no more!

While I felt that You Are Here was a slightly more cohesive collection (the stories truly felt like they related to and built on one another), the writing in On the Block was still tremendously strong. My favorite chapters were those written by Erin Entrada Kelly and Jasmine Warga. I will absolutely be recommending this book to my middle school students. On the Block includes important themes, including immigration, xenophobia, community, and found family, and I believe it would be an excellent addition to any middle school library or curriculum.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced reader copy!

This is an excellent middle grade book about the life of the kids in an apartment building -- and their families and neighbors. It's a multicultural building, and you learn, among other things, about ethnic cooking preferences and many words for grandmother.

Each chapter is a different story, but the characters do know or run into each other, so the stories become connected by the end of the book. Each character is a person you care about and are interested in, and their perspective provides a layer of life to the building and the neighborhood that their parents may be unaware of. The dilemmas are real, and the resolutions realistic.

Excellent for both independent reading and reading aloud. Highly recommended.

"Welcome to 'The Entrada!' You’ve come home."

"On The Block: Stories of Home" is an anthology of twelve connected vignettes, edited by author Ellen Oh, that portray the diverse families in residence at the New York apartment building known as 'The Entrada.' Each chapter, appropriately titled by the apartment number of each new middle-grade-aged narrator, is a lovely gem and tells of the young resident’s life in the days leading up to the building’s first community potluck.

The stories explore the cultures and concerns of the new young immigrant, and while their origins are global, their hopes and fears are universal and relatable to all readers. I loved that the connections among the families while beginning with a common address, became personal through the friendships of the building’s child population. I enjoyed the concurrent points of view of events or encounters among the children, two or more people observing the same event but “seeing” or interpreting something from it that was entirely different. And I’m not talking about the paranormal activity threaded through some of the tales, though there is that!

Food is a common thread running through the collected tales. There are numerous scenes of family meals, and some of their favorite dishes may be unfamiliar to many readers. However, they are tempting just the same because of the authors’ tantalizing descriptions. The story culminates in the building’s big community potluck on a wonderful summer Saturday evening.

At the end of the book are the contributing authors’ biographies, including the titles of their previous works. That information alone is gold and could provide additional stories for the targeted age group to enjoy.

I recommend ONE THE BLOCK to readers of middle-grade fiction, especially those interested in getting a peek into a different culture.

An amazing anthology well done with amazing authors.
Will keep recommending this one. Relatable in many ways.

The Entrada apartment building is full of multigenerational immigrant families whose lives intersect on a daily basis. Whether it’s from kids playing together, adults having small talk, or even arguing about the smells in the hallway, the residents of the building share much more than they think they do despite their differences. This collection is one that all ages will be able to enjoy no matter their background or their circumstances.

This book was such a heartwarming and delightful collection of stories to read. I love anthologies where the stories tie in together and you get to see characters interact with each other as well as see the different perspectives of everyone. As someone who has grown up in an immigrant family, I really enjoyed seeing the realistic struggles and issues the kids dealt with on a regular basis as they try to balance their home life with their life outside of their community.

I love how there are so many different cultures represented in this book just like how an apartment building would contain. The multi generational families that make up the Entrada building brought the story to life and transported me into the pages and made me want to become a part of their world. Readers will want to share in their experiences, hear their stories, and of course enjoy all their delicious food.

This collection includes some of the best middle grade fiction authors out there and many of them are my favorites already plus I was introduced to some new me to authors. That’s what I love best about books like this as it gives you a sampling of the author’s work and makes you want to read more.

My Thoughts:
Written by various YA and middle level writers, these short stories, tied together with the voices and foods and smells of mostly immigrant families will pull readers in, one story at a time. As readers, each story starts with the apartment number and then moves on to another floor, another apartment number, another family, another story. However, at the end, and especially at the potluck, it was so nice to see the families coming together. This was just a joyful book. It is a perfect summer read. It will also work as a chapter a day book for middle level readers.

The appeal for middle level male and female readers is that the kids "on the block" sound like them. They have similar issues, and similar interests. It is a feel good book on diverse families, diverse cultures and using kindness as the answer to racism and hatred. In a world full of misunderstanding and fear toward people that are "different," this book shows us compassion and appreciation for the power of difference in making this country a better place.

This is a 5-star, buy this and use it in your classroom kind of book for upper elementary and middle school readers.

From the Publisher:
2 Families. 12 Cultures. 1 Building.

Welcome to the Entrada, home to these everyday Americans, including
the new kid on the block, who is both homesick and curious
a Popsicle-bridge builder, a ghost hunter, and a lion dancer
their families, friends, and neighbors from all around the world!

Published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, this anthology features award-winning authors Tracey Baptiste, David Bowles, Adrianna Cuevas, Sayantani DasGupta, Debbi Michiko Florence, Adam Gidwitz, Erin Entrada Kelly, Minh Lê, Ellen Oh, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Andrea Wang, and Jasmine Warga. These inspiring stories celebrate family, friendship, culture, and American immigrant life today.

Publication Information:
Editor: Ellen Oh
Authors: various (see above)
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers (Oct 22, 2024)
Hardcover: 208 pages
ISBN 13: 978-0593648445
Grade level: 3-7

The subtitle Stories From Home sold me on this book. The stories all feature "families" grown from the many differing people and cultures that live in one apartment building. While I've never lived in an apartment building quite this large, I have been a part of a military family that moved every few years and lived within a mixed culture that shared their hearts and became family. It's rare to read the depth to which strangers so quickly become a part of our sense of "home". This book stirs the senses and brings these families into our collective memory. They become home.

I love all of the short stories in this book. The way in which a multitude of cultures and generations are represented is very engaging. The length of the stories are perfect for my middle grade students. The depth of the characters, as well as the lessons they are learning along the way make this a great book to have in depth academic conversations about. I can't wait to use this title with my classes.

The list of contributors for this book alone got me so pumped to read this book! I'm a huge Ellen Oh fan.

A great book if you're looking for something to read with your middle grader. Although complex and engaging, depending on age and reading level, I would say reading with a parent is the way to go, even if it's just to engage and converse after it's read.

With themes of personal growth, diversity, and community I highly recommend picking up this read in October!

Special thanks to NetGalley and to Crown Books for Young Readers for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

On The Block is an enjoyable collection of interconnected short stories about the residents of an apartment building. Each story focuses on a different middle grader who either lives in the building or is visiting a relative who lives there. The stories highlight different ethnicities and facets of the immigrant experience. I enjoyed this read and think it would be a fun and educational choice for middle grade readers.

There have been a number of short story collections lately that highlight a particular cultural background, like Ali's Once Upon an Eid (Muslim), Khan's The Door is Open (Desi), Baron's On All Other Nights (Jewish), Rosen's Coming of Age, Mbalia's Black Boy Joy, Smith's Ancestor Approved (Native America), and even Oh's You Are Here (Asian). These are especially nice to have on hand when students from those background want a "mirror" book, but the good thing about On the Block is the wide variety of cultures and ethnic backgrounds that are represented. Like Oh's Flying Lessons, this has a nice selection of backgrounds, and I loved the idea of setting the book up like an apartment building. I will definitely purchase this one, since language arts teachers have been using more short stories in the classroom. I do wish that the name of the authors had appeared at the beginning of the chapter so that I hadn't had to go back to the publication data page to see which author was writing. It was a nice touch to name the apartment building the Entrada; I'm assuming this was in support of Erin Entrada Kelly, who has been fighting cancer, but also means "entry" in Spanish.

This is such a great collection of stories that needs to be added to every middle grade section of the library.
These have such great diverse representation. We see different families and different circumstances and each story is touching and beautiful.
Ellen Oh, is such a great author fighting for diversity and diverse rights of books to be put on shelves. This book is one of those books and will make a difference for many students.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

When I saw the authors who contributed to this collection of short stories, I had no doubt that it would be a must-buy for my middle grades library. Even with those high expectations, "On the Block" blew me away with its stories about the complexity of family, the difficulty of finding yourself as a child of immigrants, and the way that we can build community even when we feel alone.

"On the Block" was tenderly written and at points, I laughed, cried, and sat back to appreciate how fully these authors capture the middle school experience. Ages 10=14 is such a time of growth and personal discovery and it was so gratifying to see that time period captured in many of its forms by authors who have such talent.

Each of the twelve stories in this collection will touch readers in some way, but particular favorites for me included Hao's ghost hunting adventure, Yaniel's popsicle bridge experiment, and Desiree's decision that maybe, just maybe, the monsters in the basement aren't as scary when you have someone to battle them with.

"On the Block" is the perfect collection for fans of Kwame Alexander, Jasmine Warga, and Reem Faruqi. It would also be a great read-alike for any student or reading circle that has already enjoyed Jason Reynolds' "Look Both Ways." "On the Block" is an instant classic that students, teachers, and librarians will all agree is a contender for middle grades novel of the year! Special thanks to NetGalley and to Crown Books for Young Readers for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this novel!

Loves the format. A middle grade diverse collection of stories. One apartment each chapter. 12 families 12 stories all in or. Building. Each chapter is written by a different author. Such a fun read.

A MG story collection from @weneeddiversebooks @elloecho that is full of diversity, culture and family.
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@megmedinabooks kicks this anthology off with her foreward about shared experiences growing up in an apartment as a child. She is the 24-25 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature appointed by the @librarycongress Being able to read about 12 different families living their lives in an apartment, sharing their stories at the Entrada was joyous to read.
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Authors of this short story book include: @adriannacuevas @traceybaptistewrites @davidobowles @sayantanidasguptabooks @debbi_michiko_florence @adam_gidwitz @erinentrada @bottomshelfbks @andreawhywang @jasminewargabooks @olugbemisolarhudayperkovich